Sell with Authority: Own and Monetize Your Agency's Authority Position by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner tells how agencies can create "cornerstone" content to stand out from competitors, attract ideal clients, and generate revenue. States that agencies can do the same for their clients. Although the book is aimed at agencies, the lessons are applicable to many business types.
The book includes both strategy and tactics, and contains many examples.
McLellan summarizes the approach this way: "Let your content, expertise, and authority position allow you to talk to a small group of highly targeted prospects who feel like they already know, like, and trust you."
I've listened to McLellan's Build A Better Agency podcast for years.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Below are my notes from the book.
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Three Essentials to Becoming an Authority
Three essentials to authority
- Narrow niche
- Strong point of view
- Findable in multiple places
The narrower your audience, the better.
Authority position is combination of your niche or industry-specific expertise and strong point of view (about marketplace, audience, or your product/service) you apply to it (insight that influences your work). Weave this into every piece of content.
Don't create content so narrow it only works on one channel, because all prospects won't be on one channel. Have content in multiple places to be more findable.
Defining Your Point of View
Niche elements
- Subject matter expertise
- Passion for people you serve
- Strong point of view
To find point of view
- What truths have you learned that influence your work?
- What recommendations do you always make?
- What stories do you always tell?
- What examples do you consistently use with clients? How do you uniquely serve clients?
- What do you do that most agencies or businesses would never do?
- What truths do you know about clients' industry that enables you to help them?
- What do clients customers have in common?
- What mistake do you see prospects making that you immediately seek to correct?
- What is a shared experience or belief that clients (or their customers) have that you think is wrong?
- Do clients have common background, experience, belief, habit, pattern that blocks their success?
- If you could make everyone you work with understand something, what would that be?
Creating Cornerstone Content
Cornerstone content
- Substantial enough to produce many small, smaller pieces of content
- Significant enough to be epicenter of promotion, activity, fame (in your circle)
- Created consistently
- Consistently focused on one topic
- Sales-free (intent is to teach, help)
- Goal is building audience
- Long-term play (months, years)
Questions to ask as you create cornerstone content
- How is this [strategy, content, etc.] helping my audience get better at their job?
- How is this [strategy, content, etc.] building or deepening my connection to my audience?
Expect it to take 6 to 12 months to get significant benefit from efforts. It should be working well after two years. You should be an established authority after three years.
Cornerstone content examples
- Podcast (talking)
- Write book (writing)
- Primary research study (hybrid)
- Co-author or crowdsource book (writing)
- Video series featuring you or interviews with others (talking)
- Webinar series featuring you or cohosts (talking)
- Articles or blog post (provocative, prolific) (writing)
- Keynote speeches (aimed at niche, featuring POV) (talking)
Writing as the Hub of Your Cornerstone Content
Written content doesn't take advantage of voice and video (hot trends). However, you can turn written content into audio.
Your New Business Blueprint
Sales funnel phases
- Macro ("know"). Get on radar of prospects. Use cornerstone content. Demonstrate authority.
- Micro ("like"). Prospects are aware of you. Create credibility, connection. Turn cornerstone content into smaller pieces ("cobblestones") in different places, formats. Use testimonials. Nurture lead and get permission to stay in front of them.
- Nano ("trust"). Get specific about audience (no more than 25 prospects, all ideal). Every 6-8 wks, send highly valuable content not available elsewhere (mix of online and offline; some can be 3rd party content). Send physical mail whenever possible. When prospect hires you, replace them on list of 25.
- Existing clients
Cobblestone content examples
- Blog post
- Infographic
- Short video
- Quote card
- Be guest on podcast
- Series of social media posts
- Recorded webinar or webinar series on website
- Event
Nano phase content examples
- Printed copy of your ebook
- Checklist to make TV interview go well
- Trade show booth ideas
- Best-selling book with note recommending a chapter
- Invitation to webinar or lunch-and-learn at your office with featured speaker
- Invitation to pre-trade show cocktail party with speaker
- Invitation to event unveiling your research results
- Client-only email with essential industry info
Build an Audience from Scratch
Create content people want to share with their audience
- Interview people so they'll share content with their audience. Guest must be able to teach your audience something that helps them do their job better. Ideally, guest will also be prospect or have audience of prospects.
- Create content worthy of attention of experts who have media channel (podcast, blog, etc.)
How to Monetize Your Content
Indirect monetization (optional; in addition to direct monetization
- Build active audience around your authority position. One way is co-creating content with thought leaders who aren't potential clients but have their own audiences. If you do, still publish some of your own content without guests. Will likely take at least 1 yr.
- Sell access to your audience via ads, sponsorship. Charge $10k - 100k.
- Sell to audience (see ideas below).
Items to sell to audience
- Events
- Mastermind group membership
- Meetings with you or your team
- Course
- Book
- Workshop
- Coaching content
- Introductions, vendor meetups
- Speaking engagements
- Research
Appendix A: Slice and Dice Recipes
Cornerstone content ideas for 1 year (choose 1)
- 1 book
- 52 videos (weekly series)
- 52 podcast episodes (weekly podcast)
- 4 keynote speeches (quarterly)
Appendix B: Tools For Getting It Done
WriterAccess provides freelance writers.
You can buy Sell with Authority: Own and Monetize Your Agency's Authority Position by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner as an ebook, book, or audiobook on Amazon.
Need Help Attracting Leads?
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